Ronnie James Dio service draws thousands

A memorial service held for Ronnie James Dio on Sunday is said to have drawn crowds of over a thousand.

The event, which took place at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles, saw 1,200 fans of the late rocker paying tribute inside the Hall of Liberty while hundreds more watched on monitors set up outside, reports The AP.

David Feinstein, Dio's cousin and bandmate, said: "He touched all of us with his music and his message and his magic.

"I know that Ronnie truly loved all of you. He had a great appreciation for your loyalty. I'm talking about all you out there, all the fans."

"For dad, the show always had to go on. He ignored the warning signs for years, and all along the cancer was growing and mutating from something that was probably easily defeatable into a monster which even Dio couldn't slay."